Pneumatic tire valve



June 24, 1941.

A. O. ANDERSON PNEUMATIC TIRE VALVE Filed Oct. 3, 1958 III! Patented June 24, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE PNEUMATIC TIRE VALVE Allen 0. Anderson, Chicago, Ill.

Application October 3, 1938, Serial No. 232,916

(Cl. IS7-69.5)

3 Claims.

My invention relates to pneumatic tire valves and it has for its object the provision of a new and improved form and arrangement of parts by which the valve is adapted to prevent the escape of air under normal conditions but to permit the escape of a limited amount of air whenever the pressure becomes abnormally high in the tire.

The structure by which I have accomplished my objects as above stated has additional advantages in that it is very simple in construction so as to be capable of being produced easily and cheaply, and it is very little if any heavier than the ordinary valve and stem arrangement by reference to which the tire is sought to be balanced in the course of its manufacture. The mechanism is also kept to a fairly small size and is of symmetrical form Without projections toward either side so as to be neat and inconspicuous. The arrangement further 1s such that it can readily be adjusted for changing the pressure at which the valve is adapted to act for permitting the escape of air.

It is still another object of my invention to improve devices of this type in sundry details hereinafter pointed out. The preferred means by which I have accomplished my several objects are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. l is a central vertical section through a valve stem equipped with my improved valve mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a view of the upper portion of the device as seen from the right in Fig. 1; and

Figs. 3 and 4 are fragmentary sectional views corresponding to a portion of Fig. 1 but showing changed positions of the parts.

` Referring now to the several figures of the drawing, in which corresponding parts are indicated by the same reference characters, I indicates a valve stem of the ordinary type provided with a plate II on its lower end adapted to be inserted through a suitable opening in the wall of an inner tube and to be secured tightly therein by the means usually employed or in any other suitable manner. Upon the upper end of the stem Il), I have provided a cap I2 secured in position by means of screw-threads, such cap I2 having an opening at I3 over the end of which a sheet metal cup I4 is secured by means .of an arm I5 and a pin I6, the cup I4 being adapted to be moved longitudinally with respect to the pin I6 and the cap I2 by reason of the provision of a slot I'l in the arm portion I5.

Within the bore of the valve stem II), I have provided a tubular valve member I8 which is provided near its upper end with a tapered gasket I9 adapted to seat' against a correspondingly tapered portion of the bore of the stem I0. The tubular valve member I8 is held removably in position in the stem by means of a screw-threaded sleeve 2D which engages the upper end of the tubular valve member I8, the arrangement being such that the sleeve 20 and the tubular valve member I8 are pressed downwardly upon a downward movement of said sleeve 20.

At the lower end of the tubular valve member I8, it is provided with a downwardly tapered bore portion at 2| through which extends a short sleeve member 22 provided with a valve member 23 thereon adapted to seat against the tapered portion of the bore so as to close the space between the sleeve and the tubular valve member. Below the sleeve 22, I have provided a valve member in the form of a cup 24 having a valve 25 in the form of a block of rubber therein so as to seat upwardly against the lower end of the sleeve 22, such valve comprising the parts 24 and 25 being connected with a pin 26 extending upwardly through the sleeve 22 and through the tubular valve member I8. A coiled spring 2l mounted about the pin 26 bears at its lower end against the sleeve 22 and at its upper end against an adjustable bearing block 28 secured by means n of screw-threads in the tubular valve member IB. The arrangement is such that by an adjustment of the bearing block 28 the eective strength of the coiled spring 2l can be changed for varying the upward pressure required on the valve 24 for forcing the valve 23 upwardly from its seat.

Above the bearing block 28, I have provided a second coiled spring 29 which bears at its upper end against a bearing member 30 carried by the pin 26, such spring 29 serving normally to hold the pin 26 and the valve 25 in their raised position for closing the lower end of the sleeve 22. The pin 26 is of such length as to extend a short distance beyond the upper end of the valve stem in which the tubular valve member IB is secured.

Whenever the socket member of an air pump or other suitable source of air under pressure is screwed into position upon the upper end of the valve stem II), the pin 26 is forced downwardly so as to move the valve 25 also downwardly against the action of the spring 29 so as to permit the air to move downwardly through the stem and through the tubular valve member I8 into the tire (see Fig. 3). As soon as the socket member of the pump is removed from the valve stem, the spring 29 promptly closes the valve 25 against .the sleeve 22 for preventing the escape of air through said sleeve. Whenever the pressiu'e upon the bottom face of the valve comprising the cup 2l and the valve member 25 exceeds a predetermined value corresponding to the adjustment o1' the bearing block 28, the valve 2I-2I and the sleeve 22 are moved upwardly by such pressure, against the action of the spring 21, for unseating the valve 23 in the tubular valve member i8 as shown in Fig. 4. So long as the valve 23 remains in its raised position, air is adapted to escape past the valve 23, such air being free to escape at the upper end of the cap l2. As soon as the pressure has been lowered by the escape of air to a point corresponding to the adjusted strength of the spring 21, the'valve 23 is moved downwardly again into closed position so as to be eiective for preventing further escape of air under pressure conditions below the desired maximum.

In the arrangement as shown in Fig. 1, the sleeve 20 by which the tubular valve member I8 is held in position in the valve stem is provided with a bracket 3| by which the sleeve is slidably mounted upon the pin 26, whereby `the sleeve 20 is connected in unit form with the remaining portions of the removable valve mechanism.

While I prefer to employ the form and arrangement of parts as shown in my drawing and as above described, it is to be understood that my invention is not limited to such form and arrangement except so far as the claims may be 'so limited, it being understood that changes might well be made in the structure without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A valve mechanism, comprising in combination a tubular valve member, a tapered bearing on the outer face of said valve member adapted to t a tapered seat in the valve stem of a tire, an upwardly opening valve in said tubular valve member having an opening therethrough, yielding means adapted normally to hold said valve in its lowered closed position, a second valve for closing the opening through said rst-named valve and arranged for opening downwardly, a pin connected with said second valve and extending upwardly through Ithe opening in said firstnamed valve and adapted to extend to a point adjacent to the upper end of the valve stem, a retainer sleeve adapted by screw-threaded connection with the valve stem to press said tubular valve member into operative position, a bracket carried by said retainer sleeve having sliding engagement with said pin, means on the p in for preventing disengagement of said bracket therefrom, and yielding means normally holding said second valve closed, said two valves and the yielding means therefor and said pin and retainer sleeve being connected with said tubular valve member so as to be removable in unit form from said valve stem.

2. A valve mechanism, comprising in combination a tubular valve member having a downwardly tapered bore at a portion of its length, a short sleeve extending through said tapered opening portion, valve means about said sleeve seating downwardly in said tapered opening for closing the space between the sleeve and the tubular valve member, other valve means seating upwardly against the end of said sleeve for closing the sleeve, means for removably securing said tubular valve member in position in a valve stem, a pin connected with said second valve and extending upwardly through said sleeve and through said tubular valve member and adapted to extend to a position corresponding substantially t0 the end of the valve stem so as to be pressed downwardly for opening said second valve by .the connection of said valve stem with the socket member of a pump or other source of air under pressure, a bearing block adjustably mounted in said tubular valve member above said first-named valve, a coiled spring interposed between said rst-named valve and said bearing block adapted normally to hold said valve closed but to yield upwardly for permitting air to escape when the fluid pressure against said second valve exceeds a predetermined value, and a second coiled spring interposed between said bearing block and a bearing member on said pin adapted normally to press said second valve upwardly against said sleeve for preventing the escape of air through the sleeve.

3. A valve mechanism, comprising in combination a tubular valve member having a downwardly tapered bore at a portion of its length, a short sleeve extending through said tapered opening portion, valve means about said sleeve seating downwardly in said tapered opening for closing the space between the sleeve and the tubular valve member, other valve means seating upwardly against the end of said sleeve for closing the sleeve, a downwardly tapered gasket on the outer face of said tubular valve member adapted to seat against a correspondingly tapered portion of a valve stem, a pin connected with said second valve and extending upwardly through said sleeve and through said tubular valve member and adapted to extend to a position corresponding substantially to the end of the valve stem so as to be pressed downwardly for opening said second valve by the connection of said valve stem with the socket member of a pump or other source of air under pressure, a bearing block adjustably mounted in Said tubular valve `member above said first-named valve, a coiled spring interposed between said rst-named valve and said bearing block adapted normally to hold said valve closed but to yield upwardly for permitting air to escape when the uid pressure against said second valve exceeds a predetermined value, a second coiled spring interposed between said bearing block and a second bearing member on said pin adapted normally to press said second valve upwardly against said sleeve for preventing the escape of air through the sleeve, and a third sleeve loosely mounted on said pin adapted by engagement with screwthreads in said'valve stem to hold said tubular valve member and the parts carried thereby in operative position in said stem.

ALLEN O. ANDERSON. 

